New Releases category interest

“My body’s not a monster and I’m finally gonna let that thunder roll,” Raye Zaragoza sings on her new single “Not A Monster” out today. With swelling synths, warm rhythmic guitars and atmospheric layered vocals, the LA-based singer-songwriter grapples with her 13-year battle with disordered eating. Zaragoza, who began modeling before her first birthday, has wanted to write a song about her struggles for years but couldn’t find the words. After turning 30 and ending an engagement, she used what would have been her wedding budget to fund a new album, ultimately creating a safe space for healing. “I hope by sharing my story about my struggle with disordered eating, I can inspire other women to heal too,” says Zaragoza. “We are not monsters. We are beautiful as we are.”

Stream “Not A Monster” here: https://ffm.to/notamonster

The official music video for “Not A Monster,” also out today, features Zaragoza’s friend and painter, Erica Elan Cigane. “This video symbolizes how we are always works in progress,” Zaragoza explains. “It symbolizes that even in the dark moments when you feel stressed and like all hope is lost, you've come so far and have to keep moving. Healing is a practice of surrender, and you have to trust that there is something beautiful on the other side. Watch the “Not A Monster” music video here: https://youtu.be/eR88XmGsc1k 

Known as “one of the most fresh and compelling voices in folk music today" (NPR Music), Raye Zaragoza is no stranger to writing songs that inspire positivity and change. Zaragoza, a woman of mixed Indigenous, Asian, and Hispanic heritage, gained recognition in 2016 with “In The River,” which was written to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline. Her 2020 female empowerment anthem “Fight Like a Girl” advocates for reproductive rights, while her single “Red” spotlights domestic violence and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women organization, and “The It Girl” calls for colored women to have greater representation in the media. She also writes the music for Netflix's 'Spirit Rangers,' a show featuring an all Native American writers room and cast, which recently renewed for its third season. 

Zaragoza’s forthcoming album Hold that Spirit is set for release on August 11, 2023. The 12-song collection came to life with exclusively female collaborators, a rarity in an industry where less than 5% of production/engineering credits go to women. Hold That Spirit is all about exploring the beliefs too-often forced on young women - how their lives should unfold, how they should appear to others, what success should mean to them - and ultimately breaking free. Watch the music video for lead single “Joy Revolution” with MILCK, which serves as a radiant thesis statement for the entire record, here. 

Before kicking off her first-ever headline tour and first time hitting the road with a band, Zaragoza will make her Newport Folk Festival this weekend. All announced tour dates, including Ghost Ranch Music Festival, are listed below, with additional dates coming soon.

Raye Zaragoza 2023 Tour Dates

July 28-30 Newport Folk Festival - Newport, RI

August 26 - Ghost Ranch Music Festival - Abiquiu, NM

September 14 - Hotel Cafe - Los Angeles, CA*

September 21-23 - Áak'w Rock Indigenous Music Festival - Juneau, AK

September 27 - Soiled Dove Underground - Denver, CO*

September 28 - UWYO Poke’s Pub - Laramie, WY*

September 30 - E-Town Hall - Boulder, CO

October 2 - Reverb Lounge - Omaha, NE*

October 3 - XBK - Des Moines, IA*

October 4 - North Street Cabaret - Madison, WI*

October 10 - Club Passim - Boston, MA*

October 12 - Joe’s Pub - New York, NY*

October 13 - City Winery Loft - Philadelphia, PA*

October 14 - Jammin Java - Washington, D.C.*

October 16 - Eddie’s Attic - Atlanta, GA*

October 19 - Salem Art Festival - Salem, OR

October 20 - Walters Cultural Arts Center - Hillsboro, OR

*headline show